Nigeria has swept many issues under the carpet for long, through the habit of looking for a quick solution and not a holistic treatment with time, forgetting that we’re only sitting on a gunpowder that is backfiring now, as many Nigerians are feeling being taking for granted for too long.
The ENDSARS protest started like an inconsequential movement that will soon fizzle out but to the surprise of many including the government and the citizens, it is becoming a move that Nigeria has never seen before as it keeps counting days unhindered regardless of every moves to stop it by the powers that be. This protest has so far generated some results and have taught us some tremendous lessons among which are:
1. UNITY & TENANCITY: When Nigerians put aside our differences (ethnicity, social class, status etc), and come together as a force to reckon with, we can mount pressure on the leadership to get what we want. Many Nigerians protesting out there are not talking of being rich or poor, being a Muslim, a Christian or a traditionalist; what we only see in ourselves is a common interest that must be fought for with a peaceful protest, sensitization, consistency and tactical negotiation Nigeria have so far suffered defeats by fighting from our purview of sentiments, stereotypes and divisions.
2. When our celebrities, leaders and key people (at various levels and sectors) join their voices collectively to the cry of the masses and tackle issues biting us up, we can get this country better. These set of people can get this nation forward by their genuine solidarity. Of course, we know people who can’t be touched by the government like they will do to the common people, else the global community will frown at the government. The government is afraid of these kind of people and such should use their influence for the masses.
3. When we keep quiet on our issues, we will lack help from well-meaning people who might be of help in the international community. The first move to solving our problem should start from us, not looking up to any Superpower! Our solution lies within not outside…
WHY PROTESTING AGAIN AFTER DISBANDING SARS?
This has been a question in the mouth of some Nigerians and I can say that this question is not farfetched from the fact that many are ignorant of the fundamental issues this protest should address, including some people protesting online or on ground. The #ENDSARS is just a take off point (not a bus stop) to call for good governance gradually, to put an end to the oligarchic and opportunistic governing structure. To give the citizens a sense of belonging in their fatherland and not a sense detachment from the government like it is now, resulting into self-help.
May I state that the disbanding of SARS is just a partial success for now until the proper reform and structure is put in place through the working together of the government, police and the citizens.
I believe the same attitude and vigour engaged in fighting for ending SARS should be used in seeing the interment of the remains of not only SARS, but the brutality among men in uniform generally (the police, military and other paramilitary agencies).
For instance, some agencies are there picking up anybody expressing a contrary opinion to the government; some are not even heard of. We still have a poor Civil-Military relationship with harassment and intimidation by some personnels suffering from low-self esteem. Some agencies are there as Presidency body language agencies to witch-hunt those not under the canopy of the ruling party. And if these institutions are not salvaged we’llend up breeding another problem we’ll still protest possibly against in the future.
I’ll suggest that;
1. There should be sincerity to solving this menace holistically on the side of the government as well as the relevant agencies or institutions: the government will be making a grievous mistake by being evasive in its approach by finding means of just making people keep quiet tentatively, because of some political and socio-economic problem; the damage it will cost the President’s image as well as his party in 2023; if the protest continues. I believe these are the underground interests that would have given the go-ahead order to the IGP to disband SARS on October 11th, 2020. This must have been why the government is running helterskelter to see ASUU return to classroom and NYSC back into operations, with the aim of distracting the protests and defeat its purpose.
2. I feel these uncultured bad eggs should be spotted out and sent to combat terrorism in the North East to go and exercise their very good shooting skills very well, like Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State suggested. I feel this will be better instead of sacking or discarding them into the society, because that’s another security problem.
3. FAIRNESS IN PROCESS: the recruitment processes must be revisited and readjusted into a modern day type. You can’t recruit people through corrupt practices and expect them not to be corrupt. You can’t give people an animalistic training and expect them to be civil. Modern Training with an human face that will inculcate morality into them as we sanitize the corrupt system. Retraining of already employed officers, many are becoming redundant and potbelly is becoming their major achievement, that’s why they’re unproductive. Moreover, they have connections that makes them untouchable, nepotism, cronyism, influence peddling among others must be done away with in our system.
4. DECENTRALIZATION OF THE SECURITY ARCHITECTURE: the issue of State Policing has become what some ears don’t want to hear, but it is needed. The federal government is having too much on its neck which is giving room for inefficiency, shed some weight! I know some state Governors have become emperors but modalities to avert the abuse of powers by such powerdrunk fellows should be stopped by the law and the encouragement of the rule of law. A security personnel taken to an unfamiliar terrain will keep amounting to a waste of resources.
5. CLOSENESS TO THE PEOPLE: government need not to be far away from the people. Citizens should be given a sense of belonging. The government can do this by making the people enjoy good infrastructure. The lack of this has so far led to the detachment from the government, making many felt the government is irrelevant and have resorted to self-help, where they provide for themselves things like potable water, graded but untarred roads, generators or inverters. This will only be giving room for disdain of the government daily.
6. Let the police redeem their image first, then they won’t need to convince the people before they believe them. Suspicion is a major problem in Nigeria that can only be stopped by transparency and accountability.
Nigerians must keep pressing and start taking this restructuring gradually until we totally get it right. We can fix this nation but we only need one voice, one thinking, one properly defined national interest, actions towards achieving one goal of rebuilding a Nigeria we will be proud of.
Oluwatobi Adeleke, a Journalist and Public Affairs analyst writes from Kaduna.
